60 needy Senior Citizens will be receiving gifts because of the kindness of the Virginia Western family. Thank you.

Two additional ways to help:
1. Deliver gifts- delivery starts Tues. Dec 10 until all gifts are delivered. Pick up gifts at the center -Towers on 23rd St., down from Present Tyme & Crock & Roll.

2. Monetary donations- will be matched by the Salem VA Credit Union through “Charity Cheerleaders”. Donations can be dropped off at any branch. Or on campus in Workforce Solutions Office, Thomas Center, Rm 105, until Wed. Dec 18. Make out checks to Charity Cheerleaders”. Questions? Contact Deb Squire, 7-6296, dsquire@virginiawestern.edu, or Dana Ascillio, 7-6675 dascillio@virginiawestern.edu,

The College will pay the early bird registration fee for any full-time faculty or staff member who asked for this on their professional development application. The early bird rate is only available through February 19, 2014. On the registration form, use the name Fred Aaron as the college official authorizing payment and select “College Pay” in the payment window.

Grades for the fall 2013 term are due by 9:30 a.m. on December 19th. Grade rosters for dynamic classes that have already ended may have their final grades entered now. Please remember to save your grade roster(s) in the "Approved" status and to also follow the instructions for populating the Last Date of Attendance field: http://virginiawestern.edu/facstaff/docs/LastDateofAttendanceFieldSpring2013.pdf. Additional information on entering grades is also available online at http://www.virginiawestern.edu/studenthelp/faculty/recordgrades.php. If you need assistance or have any questions, pleaes contact Lorry Conklin, Karin Cole or Sharlona Wimmer.

Late Rosters/Grades for Regular and Dynamic Classes: If grades were not entered as of the Fully Graded Date because 1) the instructor did not enter regular session grades on time, or 2) the dynamically dated course was not completed by the Fully Graded Date for the term, the school office must notify the Registrar/Records Office. In these situations, the instructor should enter grades via MyVWCC and notify the school office and the Registrar/Records Office who will complete the grade entry .

The Armed Forces Student Association is sponsoring the Toys for Tots donation boxes across campus. Help brighten a child's Christmas today by donating new, unwrapped toys. The donation boxes are in W305, the second floor of the Fralin Center and in Humanities by the gym. The drive ends on 12/8/13 so take a few minutes to help make this holiday season even better for a child in need.

On November 24, a young woman’s home was completely destroyed by fire. Joanie White’s daughter and four grandchildren lost all of their belongings. They are in need of hygiene items, toiletries, kitchens essentials, household items, clothing, or monetary donations. Any items donated can be delivered to the Payroll Office located on the ground level of Fishburn Hall. For more information, please contact Debra Thomas at 857-6319 – dthomas@virginiawestern.edu or Dorrisa Williams at 857-6634 – dmwilliams@virginiawestern.edu. Any items donated will be needed by the close of business on December 6. Thank you.

QuickBooks for Business Workshop (ACCT 2195 - AC2) Thursday 1/9/14 - 1/23/14 (6:00pm-9:00pm) - Lean tips and tricks for using QuickBooks to manage your accounting records, freeing up time for you to grow your business. This in-depth workshop will help you succeed! Pre-Req: ACC-110 or prior experience using QuickBooks. Contact Paulette Parkhill 540-857-6514 or pparkhill@virginiawestern.edu

Sewing/Construction & Pattern Drafting (LLRN 2700 - 6 sessions, one per week for 6 consecutive weeks on THURSDAYS) 3/6/14 - 4/10/14 Click this link for more details- http://virginiawestern.edu/workforce/classes/sewing.php - This is your opportunity to learn sewing skills and specialized techniques used by top European and domestic designers from an industry expert. Eric Stiles, a former supervisor and head tailor and fitter for Giorgio Armani, Polo Ralph Lauren, and many others, has more than 35 years of professional experience. Contact Paulette Parkhill 540-857-6514 or pparkhill@virginiawestern.edu

Industrial Maintenance Technician (17 Weeks, 20 Hours/Week, 340 Total Hours) This VWCC Quick Connect Intensive Industrial Maintenance Technician's program introduces students to the knowledge and skills they will need to work in manufacturing or industrial plants. Entry level industrial maintenance technicians call upon a variety of skills in electronics, mechanical and digital systems to repair and maintain large and complex machines. Through on-line, classroom and hands-on training, students will build skills in an array of mechanical, electrical and technological areas including welding and maintenance, mechanical systems, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, and electrical control systems. Students will use a variety of resources including Tooling University from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. For additional program information, please contact Leah Coffman at 857-6678; James Smith at 857-6273; or contact a VWCC Career Transition Coach at 857-6296 (Deb Squire) or 857-6279 (Amanda Decker)

VWCC Quick Connect: Welding & AWS Certificationhttp://virginiawestern.edu/workforce/programs/welding.php
Students will learn GMAW and FCAW welding methods. Credentials from this class include an OSHA 10 Certification, a Commonwealth of Virginia Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), and an American Welding Society (AWS) Certification. The course meets over 64 hours. Dates, times, and frequency will be determined each semester. At the end of the course, students will weld inspection coupons which will be forwarded to a Certified Welding Instructor (CWI). Successful students will receive an AWS certification. An additional three hours are required for CRC testing. For more information, contact James Smith at 540-857-6273 or jesmith@virginiawestern.edu.

An Ophthalmic Assistant is a person who works with an Ophthalmologist or Optometrist to provide patient care by performing many different eye related clinical functions. Their Work provides the ophthalmologist/optometrist with important information to help diagnose and treat patients.

This training will provide the technical information in the classroom to secure a job as an Ophthalmic Assistant. Some basic “hands on” skills with equipment will also be covered. This class focuses on the information/academics needed to work in the field. There are many pieces of equipment used on the job you will learn about but will not do “the hands on” in using the equipment until you are employed. This class will give you a distinct advantage on others applying for the job of Ophthalmic Assistant. You will know about the job, the medical aspects of the job, and the demands of the job that an applicant without the training will not have.

The class will be held 2 nights per week (TBD) from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for 12 weeks. Classes are scheduled to begin in January, 2014. Cost: $750. If you are interested or want more information contact: Dan Semones at dsemones@virginiawestern.edu, 540-857-6476